This Coffee Cake Bundt Cake is buttery with a bit of tang from sour cream, a sweet-spicy ribbon of cinnamon sugar running through it, and a coating of crackly glaze. It’s easy to make and, paired with a hot cup of coffee, the absolute perfect way to enjoy a sleepy weekend morning or afternoon.
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It’s a cinch to make, just mix a simple batter, layer it with cinnamon sugar, bake, and drizzle with a powdered sugar glaze. But it’s fancy enough for a holiday brunch, sturdy enough to bring to a potluck, and easy enough for even the laziest of bakers.
My seventeen-year-old son recently asked me what coffee cake is and was surprised to learn that it isn’t, usually, a coffee-flavored cake. Classic coffee cake is just a simple, single-layer cake, enriched with butter, a cinnamon swirl, and usually a crumb or streusel topping. It’s not too sweet, easy to make, and absolutely perfect for snacking on any time of day.
This one, though, is even better than the original because it’s baked in a bundt pan. The fancy shape makes it feel more like a dessert, but that’s not all. The shape also provides more surface area than a standard square or rectangular cake pan. And more surface area means more crisp, golden, caramelized crust and more places for that crackly, sweet, powdered-sugar glaze to coat. A bundt pan gives corner-piece perfection in every slice.
Not to mention, a bundt cake looks gorgeous and elegant on a cake stand. When sliced into neat wedges, it really shows off the cinnamon swirl running through it. All in all, this is the perfect anytime, non-fussy cake you can whip together fast.
Ingredient Notes
The beauty of a Coffee Cake Bundt Cake is how basic the ingredient list is. The ingredients you need to make this cake are very likely already in your kitchen: flour, white and brown sugar, butter, baking powder and soda, salt, eggs, sour cream (or cottage cheese), and cinnamon. That’s it.
How to Make This Bundt Cake Coffee Cake
This cake is just as easy to make as a classic bundt cake. The only difference is that the pan makes it look a whole lot fancier. Here’s how it’s made:
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- Grease every corner of the bundt pan and dust with flour, or use baking spray with flour.
- Cream together the butter and sugar, then beat in the eggs and then the sour cream and vanilla.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add them to the wet mixture and beat until incorporated.
- Mix together the white sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon-sugar layer.
- Spread half the batter in the pan and smooth it out, add the cinnamon sugar in an even ring, keeping it away from the sides, and cover with the rest of the batter.
- Bake until cooked through.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 to 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack. Add a simple glaze once cool or dust with powdered sugar.
Ideas for Mixing Things Up
Here are a few easy ideas to change things up with this simple cake:
- Chopped nuts in the streusel for crunch and a toasty flavor
- Mini chocolate chips for a dessert-leaning cake
- Diced apple or pear in the batter for juicy pockets in every slice
- A maple glaze gives it a wintery twist
- Orange zest in the cake and glaze for a bright, sunny note
- Fresh berries folded into the batter make it perfect for spring or summer
- Cardamom with the cinnamon for a deeper, almost floral warmth
- Espresso powder in the batter for a true coffee-flavored cake
More Cake Recipes to Love
I love baking a simple cake to share with friends, take to a party, or just enjoy snacking on at home. One of my all-time favorites is Honey Cake, especially when it’s moist and loaded with honey flavor. Eggnog Bundt Cake is perfect during the winter holiday season, and Pumpkin Bundt Cake and Apple Cider Donut Cake are fall classics, great to bring to a fall potluck or Thanksgiving dinner. Orange Cake with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze always wins rave reviews and Pecan Upside Down Cake brings a creative twist on classic flavors.
Coffee Cake Bundt Cake
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cottage cheese or sour cream
For the cinnamon swirl
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Cream sugar and butter together in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated, and then beat in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add this mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with sour cream, briefly mixing after each addition.
- Pour half of the batter into the greased bundt pan.
- Make the cinnamon swirl by combining the ¼ cup of sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture over the batter in the pan.
- Add the remaining batter in heaping spoonfuls over the filling.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then carefully invert it onto a serving plate or cooling rack and let it cool completely.
- While the cake is cooling, make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar and milk in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake.
- Slice and enjoy!
